Just the beginning
by fannyh
Summary: Seventh year. The Yule Ball. What if Ron decided to tell Hermione what he really feels? My first fan fiction. Please read and review. This story is now complete!
1. Good Luck, mate

This story takes place during the seventh year at Hogwarts. I am not J.K. Rowling and I don´t owe any of the characters, I just like to play with them, so don´t sue me. Also, english is not my first language so please, be gentle with me. This is my first fanfiction.

Chapter 1: "Good luck, mate"

He had never been so nervous before. Actully, he had never been so scared before. He could feel his heart beat in a way he had never felt. He was standing infront of a mirror staring at himself.His dressrobes wasn´t as bad as last time but he would lie if he said he looked good. He had alwats felt much more comfortable in jeans and a t-shirt then in his wizardclothes. He took a deep breath and looked himself in the eyes. This was it, this was the moment he had been waiting for. He was finally going to tell Hermione how he felt about her, that he loved every inch of her stubborn being. He knew it was going to be hard and he wasn´t even sure that she was going to take it well, but he knew he had to do it anyway. He couldn´t possibly hold it in any longer. He hadn´t spoken about it for so long before he, one rainy efternoon, told Harry about it. Harry had just looked at him and said;

- Ron, do you know how long I´ve been waiting for you to tell me this? I´ve seen the way you look at her, it´s like you can´t take your eyes of her.

He hadn´t known what to say but he felt so good to finally have it out in the open. Now that Harry knew, everything was changed, not only that he had someone to talk to but they could start working on a plan. A plan to win Hermione over. Harry had basically foced him to make a move but he found it very hard to found a moment to do so. Then, suddenly, the Yule Ball presented itself and Harry insisted that this was the perfect opportunity to tell her about how he felt. It was actully Harry that made it possible for them to go to the ball together. They had been sitting in the library just a few days before the dance. Harry had finally asked Ginny if she wanted to go with him and her accepting h ad put him in a great mood. Hermione hadn´t said anything about the ball but Ron had heard from Ginny that she didn´t have antone to go with. He, himself, hadn´t really thought about it. The only girl he wanted to go with was Hermione, but because asking her wasn´t an option, he intended to go alone, Suddenly Harry had given him a quick glance and then said;

- Well Hermione, are you going to the ball?

- Well Harry, we have to go haven´t we, so I don´t really have a choice...

- Well no, but are you going with someone?

Either she didn´t want to answer or she had found a brand new chapter in "Hogwarts - A History" because her eyes never left the page and she kept staring at the book. Harry continued;

- I was just thinking that you and Ron could go together. If you´re not going with someone I mean.

Hermione had looked up and given him this look, this look that he couldn´t say no too. The look told him that she really didn´t wanted to go alone. And he, eventhough he understood that she much rather had gone with anyone wlse, looked at her and said;

- Why not? If you want to Hermione...?

So now ther were going together and he was going to face her. This really was the scariest moment in his life.

He was standing at the door just staring, it had been a long time since he had seen the Great Hall so beautiful. Everything was sparkling, ice were decorating the tables, the walls and snow came falling from the ceiling.

- Ron?

He felt an hand on his shoulderand turned around. He could recognize her voice anywhere, it was like the sweetest music to his ears. When he saw her he couldn´t help buta stare at her. She was wearing a dark green dress that followed her slim body. Her hair wasn´t put in a bushy ponytail but lay straight and floating over her shoulders.

- Hi, she said with a little smile, I like your dressrobes. A gift from the twins, right?

- Yeah, thanks, he said suddenly very aware of his tongue. You look amazing, really, really beautiful.

- Thank you, I thought the green would match your hair. Her eyes sparkled and all he wanted was to grab her and snog her sensless but instead he just smiled at her.

- Yeah, right. Like anything would look good with this. He ran a han through his ginger hair. I am sorry about it...

- I don´t know what your talking about, I love you hair. It´s very personal...and...

Her last word disappeared in the music coming out from the Grat Hall.

- Maybe we should... He offered her his arm.

- We definitely should. She took his arm. her arm was warm, filling his body with a tingely feeling. They slowly walked into the Great Hall together. When they came to the middle of the room, they stoped, faced eachother and took eachothers hands. He had never been a great dancer and now, when he stood this close to the girl he loved more then life itself, he was more scared then he´d ever been. He could se all the tiny freckles in her face, he could smell her scent. She smells like flowers, he thought, I can´t believe I´ve never noticed that before.I have never smelled anything like it. He looked into her eyes, they smiled at him, danced infront of him and he couldn´t help it, he had to do something. He had to say something and he had to say it now.

- Well ´Mione,there is something I need to tell you.

- And what is that? She smiled at him, a smile that made him understand that she had no idea what he was about to tell her. This made him even more nervous but he couldn´t stop now. He had to do it and this was the only chance he got.

- We´ve been friends for a long time...

- Alomost seven years, she said with a little smile.

- Exactly, he swallowed, and you are the best friend a guy could ever have. I don´t deserve to have a friend like you...

- Don´t say that. They had stoped moving and hermione held his hands in hers.

- Well I just wanted to say thet you are my best friend. Well, you and harry.

- I am glad you feel this way because you are my best friend. Well, you and Harry... She said with a little laugh. Do you want to get something to drink? Maybe we can find Gin and Harry...?She looked around the room.

- No, I have to say this now!

- Oh, I thought you were finished, sorry...

- I wasn´t.

- Then tell me what it is.

He looked down, even her shoes were green, he took a deep breath and said;

- The thing is...the thing is..the thing is...thatIwanttobemorethenjustyourfriend...

-What...? He could barely hear her voice but he knew that she had hear. She wasn´t smiling anymore. He looked her in the eyes and tried to hold his voice steady.

- I said that I want to be more then just your friend.

- What does that mean? Her eyes were blank.

- Well...that means that I have feelings for you...feelings you shouldn´t have for a friend. It means that..well...that I love you.

She took a step backwards, her hands were shaking and her eyes were filled with tears. All Ron wanted was to hold her, tight, tight and never let her go. He wanted to kiss those tears of her face and tell her that everytinig was going to be okay, but he saw in her eyes that she would never allow him to touch her. He had never seen her like this. Hermione was always the controlled one, the one that always knew what to do, the one always sure of herself. He could see that she didn´t knew what to do with herself and it killed him konwing that he caused it.

- Mione? He tried to look her in the eyes but she kept looking down.

- I need to..., she began to sob, turned around and started to run.

-´Mione, he said quiet, feraing that he had just made the biggest mistake in his life.

He found Harry sitting at a table in one of the corners with a goofy expression on his face. It looked like he was thinking about something speciual or maybe _someone_ special.

- Hey mate. He woke Harry up from his daydream.

-Hi, Ginny has gone to get drinks... Ron, she is the most amazing girl I´ve ever met, she...

- I told her, he said ignoring the fact that Harry was talking about his sister.

- You did WHAT? Harry almost screamed. What did you say? What did she say? Where is she? Harry looked around as if he thought she was hiding behind his back.

- Well, she ran away...

- What did you say to her? Harry stared at him.

- I told her I love her, he sighted.

- Oh Ronald, you probably scared her. I´ve seen the way she looks at you when she thinks no one sees. She is totally in to you.

- Then why did she ran away?

Harry laughed.

- Well, you know girls. Who knows why they act the way they do? I´m telling you, everything will be fine, mate.

- I sure hope so, I just hope she will speak to me again.

- Don´t worry, I´m sure... Merlins beard, here she comes. Stars, she´s beautiful. Wish me luck, mate... And Harry was gone.

- Good luck, mate

He turned around and started to walk fast out of the Great Hall. He just wanted to get out of there, he just wanted to be in his bed, he just wanted to hold Hermione in his arms.

- Ooopppsss..., he had been so far away that he hadn´t noticed the girl he´d just walked into.

- I´m sorry, he looked up. Hermione was standing infront of him.


	2. I don´t want to lose you

**Thank you for all the nice reviews. I´m so glad you guys didn´t hate it. Here is chapter 2. I´m still not J.K. Rowling... Enjoy!**

Chapter 2: "I don´t want to lose you"

- "Ron!", he could barly hear her voice and her eyes were red, he could tell she´d been crying.

- "´Mione...?"

- "Look Ron, you had no right to say those things to me. To tell me that you love me just like that, like you were telling me about the weather or something. You are my best friend and I don´t want to lose you. Even if I did have feelings for you, which I am not saying that I have, it wouldn´t be worth it. I have given this as much thought as I can right now and all I can say is that I don´t want to lose you." She spoke very fast as she was giving a well-rehersed speech and all he could do was to look at her. He Heard what she was saying but he didn´t understand. Lose him? How could she ever lose him? But a little voice inside his head reminded him that she hadn´t sad that she didn´t returned his feelings.

- "Ron, are you listening to me?"

- "Yes..."

- "Good. That´s that then. I have to go..." She turned around and walked away.

It was snowing outside. Big, wet snowflakes fell from the sky, landed on his hair and made it look even more ginger against the white. He was walking away from the castle, towards the lake. He didn´t wanted to see anyone, he just wanted to be alone. He felt numb, like all the feelings had disappeared and left his body. he felt empty. It was cold outside but he didn´t mind. The cold felt completly right considering the way he was feeling. hermione had been so different, she had looked at him in a way that scared him. She had looked so lost, so scared. She had been panicing. He couldn´t stand himself right now. He was so sorry that he had caused her so much pain but it hadn´t been his intention. He just wanted her the feel the way he did. When he was around her he felt all warm inside, she made him feel like a better person. She had alwats done that. Well, not always. When he had first met her he thought she was just like any other girl; impossible to hang out with. She had been the biggest know-it-all he had ever met and she still was. But, even though, he had hated her for it at first it was now one of the things he loved most about her. He loved the way she looked when she talked about something she read or something she found really interesting. He loved the way she read "Hogwarts - A History", like it was a book no one had ever read before. He loved the way her hand floated over the parchment when she wrote something and the ways followed the pen like it was a snitch.He loved the way her hair curled around her face when it rained and how her ponytail fell down her back. Most of all he loved that she was so kind to everyone and how she always stood up to, not only her friends, but for anyone who had been treaten badly. He also loved that she always knew what was right, that she could all the answers to Snapes questions. He loved the way she walked; straight, with a young womens grace and with her hair dancing around her. He loved her entire being and could not believe that he´d actually told her just that.

He had reached the lake, everything was silent, the only thing he heard was his own heartbeat and his breath causing the air to turn white. He remembered the exact moment when he realized that she was perfect and the only one he could imagine himself to love. It was during their second year and Malfoy had been calling her a _mudblood_, she had looked shocked and angry and he could see the sadness in her eyes that he´d never seen before. He suddenly had felt that he needed to protect her, needed to make sure thet she never was hurt again. He had tryed to cast a spell on Malfoy but his brokend wand had backfired and he had been spending the entire afternoon throwing up slugs. He didn´t mind that other students had laughed at him, and still did, he was just glad that he had done something, that Hermione had seen him do something. He had also been confused by his own feelings. Why was he feeling like this? And what was it? Could it be love? It had taken him a while to figure it out but he had come to a point when he couldn´t deny it any longer. He was in love with Hermione Granger, his best friend and partner in crime. It had not been an easy thing to accept and it had not been easy to live with. At first he just started to avoid her but he soon understood that it wouldn´t work to avoid your best friend without her realizing it. So he started to ignore his feelings instead. he told himself thet he was just imagining things. He wasn´t in love, he was just a very good friend. Of course he loved hermione, she was his best friend and that was how he loved her; as a friend. But that hadn´t worked either, it was very hard to convince himself that he didn´t love her when all he wanted to do was to hold her in his arms and give her a kiss that would take her breath away. So he had to face fact; he was in love with her and he just had to deal with it. At first he never thought about telling her but after he told Harry and after Harry told him that he suspected that Hermione fancied him as well the idea of telling her didn´t seem so crazy. And now he had done it, he had told her. And what had it given him? Hermione was angry with him, she had basically that there was no chance for them to become anything more then just good friends. She had said, though, that she might have feelings for him. But what did that give him if she didn´t wanted to explore and act on those feelings? It wouldn´t get him anything, instead he might have lost his best friend. How could he have been so stupid? He should never have told her! But deep down he remembered the feeling of holding it all inside, he couldn´t possibly have lived like that any longer.

He looked around. It was dark and the stars stared at him. He decided to go back to the castle. It was nothing he could do about anything right now.


	3. Losing me was never an option

...and here is chapter 3. Don´t bother to sue, I have no money...

Chapter 3: "Losing me was never an option"

The Gryffindor common room was empty when he entered it. It was late and he assumed that everyone had gone to bed. Even thoughit had been a long day he wasn´t tired. The fire had almost burned out but it was still warm in the room and when he sat down in the chair closest to the fire he almost felt relaxed. But only almost.This had been one of the strangest days in his life and his head was filled with thoughts that he couldn´t get rid of. He keept seeing Hermiones face infront of him and he covered his face in his hands. Her brown eyes had been so sad and he couldn´t stop thinking about the tears that had been falling down her face. Why had he done it? It hadn´t changed anything till the better. He felt so alone, like he was the only one left in the world.

He didn´t hear her come in, suddenly she was just standing there infront of him. Her cheeks were red from the cold and she had snow in her hair and in her eyelashes.

- "Hermione...", he said, standing up. "I´m really, really sorry, I don´t know..."

- "Sscchhh", she said and he saw something different in her eyes. It was like she knew something he didn´t. He couldn´t see any sign of tears in her eyes, infact, she didn´t looked sad at all.

- " I just wanted to apologize, you were right..."

- "I´ve been thinking", her voice sounded strong. "I shouldn´t have reacted reacted like I did when you said all those wonderful things to me..."

-"You don´t have to..."

- "Don´t! I have to say this. No one, except my parents, have ever told me that they love me. It was a whole new situation for me. I didn´t know how to react, what you expected from me..."

- "I don´t expect anything from you", he moved a step closer. Her eyes were begining to fill wth tears once more.

- "The thing is", she said, trying to keep her voice steady, "is that I got afraid. You are my best friend, I can talk to you about everything and I love you. For a long time I loved you as a friend. I hated you at times, you can definitely drive me crazy but I have always loved you..."

- "...as a friend", he said cursing the word _friend_.

- "Well", she looked down at her feet, "for a long time I loved you as a friend but...eh...for some time now I think that I...well...that I love you more then a friend."

His heart was about to jump out of his body, his hands were shaking and his entire head was filled with a strange noise.

- "What do you mean?" He tried to keep his voice steady but failed.

- "I mean that I have feelings for you", she was still looking at her feet, refusing to meet his eyes. She looked so vulnerable, like she would break if he touched her, still he took her hands in his and just held them. Finally she looked up. She had tears in her eyes but she wasn´t crying.

- "I love you", he said putting a lock of hair behind her ear.

- "I love you to", she said moving closer to him. Their bodys were now pressed against eachother. He could feel her heartbeat, strong and steady. She was so warm...and close. She had never been so close before. She was so close that he could count everyone of her eyelashes. He couldn´t tell if it was she who made the first move but slowly their kips moved closer and closer. he didn´t have any time to get nervous, all he could think about was that he loved her like he had never loved anyone before. Their lips met, she tasted like summer and he put his arms around her and held her close to him. She drew her fingers through his hair as the kiss got more intense. She leaned against him and they fell down on the couch. Hi felt her body press against his.

- "Ron...", she said between two kisses, "maybe we should stop? Someone can come in." He stoped kissing her.

- "Everyone has already gone to bed." He kissed her again. "We´re all alone..."

- "Wait", she avoided his lips. "I love you but maybe this is going a bit to fast. It´s not that I don´t want to be with you, but this is not the time nor the place." She kissed him gently and he smiled at her.

- "I totally understand. Why don´t we just lie here and talk for a while?" He made room for her next to him on the couch. "Come here". She rolled off him and took place just next to him. He put his arm around her.

- "What made you change your mind?"

She looked at him and her face was serious.

- " I started to think, I thought about how much you mean to me and how long I´ve waited for you to tell me that you love me. I guess I reacted the way I did because I was afraid of my own feelings." She swollowed. "I mean, what if it doesn´t work out? What if we end up hating eachother? I don´t wan´t to lose you."

- "Losing me was never an option. You couldn´t lose me even if you tried."

His words made her smile.

- "That´s good to know."

He pulled her closer and felt the sweet smell of her hair fill the inside of his body. He had never felt so happy before. he was holding the girl he loved in his arms and he never wanted to let her go.

- "Hermione?"

She didn´t answer. He also felt very tired. It was like he was able to relax for the first time in days. He pressed her closer to him and closed his eyes. That was how Harry found them in the morning.


End file.
